Exeter College Think Apprenticeships is a
superbly-run, highly successful, cracking
scheme which so many local Exeter businesses
benefit from. The contribution and impact that
Exeter College Think Apprenticeships has had
on local Exeter businesses stands out from the
rest. It is a fantastic organisation and we are so
lucky to have it in Exeter.
Exeter Living Award Judging Panel (2017)

Exeter College has been named the winner in an
exceptional field because of its innovative fiveyear Apprenticeship strategy which judges said
demonstrated “excellent results in improving
recruitment and performance”. The college’s
engagement and recruitment of Apprentices
has never been better. And with more than 820
local businesses supporting its Apprentices, the
programme has gone from strength to strength.
TES FE Awards Judging Panel (2016)

Introduction
Professional
development brings
great benefits to
individuals and
organisations alike.
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s become the mainstay of our successful
Apprenticeship programme and in the new era of
reform will only continue to grow.
We have recognised that simplicity and ease of access
is what our employers want. They also expect a good
level of customer service and access to specialist
staff to support their training needs. These principles
have seen our organisation take a leading and award
winning role in the development and implementation of
employer training solutions.
The reforms have never bought more focus onto the
professional development of your staff. Whether that
be for new staff joining your organisation or existing
staff that you are looking to up-skill and invest in, the
range and effectiveness has never been higher. We
offer flexibility and full support on all of our programmes
and we look forward to welcoming you and your staff
here at the college.
Mike Blakeley
Director of Apprenticeships and Employer Engagement

The Changing Face of
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships have never brought more value to businesses across the
region. They have been without doubt one of the success stories of the
last five years and record numbers of employers have switched on to the
benefits that professional and highly trained employees bring to
your organisation.
Apprenticeships have been through the most significant change in 20 years
and we are committed to keeping our business network informed of all the
opportunities that Apprenticeships bring. This fundamentally changes the
way employers think about continuous professional development and the
training of existing staff.
Current Apprenticeship frameworks are being gradually phased out and
replaced with employer-led standards. Each occupation will now have its
own new Apprenticeship Standard linked to a specific occupational level.
The new Apprenticeships which are defined by these new Standards are
rigorous, challenging and require the Apprentice to undertake a minimum of
one yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s training. New Apprenticeship Standards are characterised by the
introduction of end-point assessment replacing mandatory qualifications.
The Levy for the first time ever creates a Continuous Professional
Development (CPD) fund for businesses to use on a range of qualifications
for existing staff.
There is no better time to use existing levy funds to support and reward
existing employees as the range and breadth of qualifications continues to
grow. The vision that Apprenticeships are aimed at the young and unskilled
is a thing of the past.

The University of Exeter and
Exeter College have worked in
partnership over a number of
years to provide a successful
Apprenticeship scheme
here at the University. Exeter
College have recently offered
invaluable advice in adapting
our scheme and supporting us
with understanding the new
Apprenticeship Levy. They offer
clear and practical advice and
support not only to the University
but also to our Apprentices. We
look forward to increasing our
Apprenticeship numbers with
them in the future.
Jonathan Cresswell,
Head of Apprenticeships,
University of Exeter

04
03

The Apprenticeship Levy
The Apprenticeship Levy was implemented in
May 2017 and applies to all employers with a
wage bill of £3 million or more per year.
These funds, taken at source, can
only be used for the delivery of
Apprenticeship training. Whether that
be a framework or a standard, your
Levy will cover the cost of delivery,
assessments, administration and the
quality assurance of your programme.
The government are committing a
further 10% of the value of your Levy
to ensure you can add as much value
to your organisational planning
as possible.
The management of your Levy will
be through the online Apprenticeship
Service portal (previously known as
the Digital Apprenticeship Service).
This account will clearly show the
value that you have accrued, the

1
£1,500

04

2

15 £27,000

provider that delivers your training
and the monthly outgoings for your
programme(s).

£24,000

With prices ranging from £1,500 to
£27,000 to include the cost of the
end-point assessment, planning the
investment in your staff may appear
complex. We have a dedicated team
of Business Recruitment Consultants
with expertise in helping you plan your
workforce using your Levy. Exeter
College are a significant source of
recruitment and placed over 1,000
Apprentices last year.

£3,000
3
£2,500

4

£18,000

£12,000

£3,500

6

7
£5,000

£15,000

10
9

£6,000

£21,000

12
11

£4,000
5

14
13

Your Levy can be spent on any
member of staff, regardless of their
age or previous level of qualification.*

Why Exeter
College?
Exeter College has invested
significantly in its business
services over the last three years.
We have been at the cutting edge and been actively
involved with the reforms since conception. We have
worked in an advisory capacity to help cement, shape and
pilot the new systems and processes.
In this period of change, we recognise the level of support
we can provide will ultimately lead to the success of
your professional development and the success of your
business.
As such we have a number of Business Recruitment
Consultants who will guide you through the opportunities
that Apprentices will bring to your organisation. Our
consultants are trained to deliver advice on a full range of
services around Apprenticeships and additional training.
Fundamental to our recent success is the high quality
support we offer all businesses at no cost. Our services
fully encompass recruitment from our existing talent pool,
a training needs analysis and advice on training for your
existing staff.

Small Businesses
and SMEs
The way Apprenticeships are funded
has changed for small businesses and
SMEs. Most of our customers will see a
reduction in the annual contribution to
Apprenticeship training.

If you are a company of 50 or less employees, the cost of training a
16-18 year old Apprentice will remain free.
An employer that has more than 50 employees and a wage bill under
£3 million per year, hiring a 16-18 year old Apprentice, will require an
employer contribution. In the past, the monthly contribution was £80 £110 per month for those aged 19+. The good news is for those who
start on one of our professional Apprenticeships, the contribution could
be as little as £200 per year, depending on the programme of study. To
offset this, the government has committed to providing employers with
a £1,000 incentive when taking on a young person. This means the
vast majority of Apprenticeships will cost nothing to the employer once
you take into account the above grant, which is a cost effective way of
spending your staff development budget.
The table below gives you an indication on the annual cost for the
courses included in this guide.
Our dedicated team of Business Recruitment Consultants are here
to guide you through and answer any questions that you may have
regarding employer contributions.

Individuals in the role of a Professional
Accounting/Tax Technician will have
responsibility for creating, and/or verifying
and reviewing, accurate and timely financial
information within the organisation in which
they are employed or on behalf of another
organisation. This will be performed in
order to meet relevant ethical, professional
and legal standards, and will utilise the
individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s knowledge of the business
systems and processes, as well as standard
accounting and tax practices. This role
may exist in an accounting practice, a
professional services company, HMRC or
the accounting function of a business or
other organisation.

An Assistant Accountant provides support
to internal and external customers and
will work predominately either as an
Assistant Accountant within practice or
alternatively within the finance function
of an organisation. Part of their role will
involve assisting in the day to day financial
activities such as data entry to month
end management accounts and/or yearend financial statements. In addition the
Assistant Accountant may find themselves
involved in regulatory financial requirements
such as the completion of VAT returns
or assisting in the preparation of tax
computations.

A Chartered Manager is someone who
can take responsibility for people, projects,
operations and/or services to deliver long
term organisational success, with the
professional recognition of their ability
to deliver impact, behave ethically and
demonstrate their commitment to continual
learning and development.
The course is suitable for new and existing
employees who are responsible for, or are
looking to progress into, managing projects,
tasks or people. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for people wanting to
kick-start their career and achieve a degree
alongside an Apprenticeship, or for those
who have been promoted to a managerial
role and want to gain a formal management
qualification.
Typical Job Roles (not limited to)

An Operations/Departmental Manager
is someone who manages teams and/
or projects, and achieving operational or
departmental goals and objectives, as part
of the delivery of the organisations strategy.
They are accountable to a more senior
manager or business owner. Working in the
private, public or third sector and in all sizes
of organisation, specific responsibilities and
job titles will vary, but the knowledge, skills
and behaviours needed will be the same.
Key responsibilities may include creating
and delivering operational plans, managing
projects, leading and managing teams,
managing change, financial and resource
management, talent management, coaching
and mentoring.

A Team Leader/Supervisor is a first line
management role, with operational/project
responsibilities or responsibility for managing
a team to deliver a clearly defined outcome.
They provide direction, instructions and
guidance to ensure the achievement of
set goals. Working in the private, public or
third sector and in all sizes of organisation,
specific responsibilities will vary, but the
knowledge, skills and behaviours needed
will be the same whatever the role.

Principles of business
communications, information
and administration, create
bespoke business documents

Around 4.5 million people help to keep
businesses running in the public, private
and not-for-profit sectors. This course
is designed to meet the skills needs of
employers by developing talent in business
and administration and help to up-skill
the workforce to replace those who leave
or retire. Administration skills are crucial
to the effectiveness and efficiency of any
organisation. Pathways include reception,
data input, personal assistant, human
resources and marketing.

Understand employer
organisations, develop
working relationships with
colleagues, principles of
providing administrative
services, principles of
documentation production
and information management

A Business Administration Apprenticeship
is most suited for those in an entry level role
in routine, yet fundamental office support
routine and tasks. Pathways include
reception, data input, personal assistant,
human resources and marketing.

The role of a Customer Service Practitioner
is to deliver high quality products and
services to the customers of their
organisation. Their core responsibility will
be to provide a high quality service to
customers which will be delivered from the
workplace, digitally, or through going out
into the customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own locality. These may
be one-off or routine contacts and include
dealing with orders, payments, offering
advice, guidance and support, meet-andgreet, sales, fixing problems, after care,
service recovery or gaining insight through
measuring customer satisfaction. The
Customer Service Practitioner may be the
first point of contact and work in any sector
or organisation type.
â&#x20AC;&#x192;
Typical Job Roles (not limited to)

This course is suitable for those who may
work as an IT project manager overseeing
the development of customer systems
to meet a clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business needs, or you
could work as a network or telecoms
manager, managing network growth and
development, and supervising
technical staff.

This course is suitable for those who already
have a sound technical knowledge and
understanding of ICT systems. It is perfect for
those who wish to extend their knowledge
and skills with more advanced hardware and
software issues.

This course is suitable for those who
already have a strong technical knowledge
and understanding of ICT systems. It is
perfect for those who wish to extend their
knowledge and skills with more advanced
hardware and software issues.

This course will support the development of
the skills and knowledge required to build,
repair and maintain computer systems.
The qualification covers a range of topics
including IT hardware and equipment,
installing and upgrading software,
system maintenance; health and safety
in ICT, developing own effectiveness and
researching new technologies. You may also
cover some application software elements
for example, spreadsheets, word processing
or presentation software.
Typical Job Roles (not limited to)
> Software/Web Developer
> Desktop Support Engineer
> Network Planner
> Database Administrator
> Network Engineer
> Software Tester

This course is suitable for those who
possess basic technical knowledge and
understanding of ICT systems and those
wishing to extend their knowledge and skills.
The course aims to equip the individual
to develop computer solutions that help
businesses and individuals become more
successful in their work. IT professionals
serve customers in all types of business and
you might work to help develop software
or websites, set up new systems, or train
people to use their own IT facilities. You
could learn about customer care, system
security, software development or IT
applications.

Level:
Level 4 / Higher Apprenticeship
Duration: Up to 2 years
Band: 11
Topics: Apply the tools and techniques
for data analysis, data
visualisation and presentation,
data lifecycle, quality issues of
data, data integration
The primary role of a Data Analyst is
to collect, organise and study data to
provide business insight. Data Analysts
are typically involved with managing,
cleansing, abstracting and aggregating
data, and conducting a range of analytical
studies on that data. They work across
a variety of projects, providing technical
data solutions to a range of stakeholders/
customers issues. They document and
report the results of data analysis activities
making recommendations to improve
business performance. They have a good
understanding of data structures, database
systems and procedures and the range of
analytical tools used to undertake a range of
different types of analyses.

This course is suitable for those who use
digital media to attract and engage with
current and potential customers using online
advertising, email marketing and search
engine optimisation. The data generated by
using digital media allow granular analysis
of what has worked, demanding analytical
and creative skills above those needed for
traditional marketing and advertising.

The primary role of a Digital Marketer is to
define, design, build and implement digital
campaigns across a variety of online and
social media platforms to drive customer
acquisition, customer engagement and
customer retention. A Digital Marketer will
typically be working as part of a team, in
which they will have responsibility for some
of the straightforward elements of the
overall marketing plan or campaign. The
marketer will work to marketing briefs and
instructions. They will normally report to
a Digital Marketing Manager, a Marketing
Manager or an IT Manager.

Additional
Apprenticeship Courses
Think Apprenticeships in...
Care and Education
Children and Young Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Workforce
Clinical Health Support
Dental Nursing
Early Years Educator
Health and Social Care
Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools

Exeter College source,
assess and recruit
over 500 employees
for businesses.
Our bespoke recruitment and delivery
model makes the employment and
ongoing support of Apprentices hassle
free so you can ensure they bring value
to your business from day one.
With nearly 900 businesses engaged
with Exeter College Apprentices we
would welcome you to join the ever
growing network of organisations that
are receiving the benefits of first class
training assessment and support.
Intermediate - Level 2
Advanced - Level 3
Higher - Level 4
Higher - Level 5

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Exeter College act as the perfect recruitment
solution. They take all of the hassle out of the
recruitment process by dealing with everything on
our behalf. They advertise the position and manage
the applications with professionalism. They are able
to help us find the perfect person and we would
recommend them to all businesses looking to
recruit exceptional staff.
Chris Kemp, Company Accountant,
Brittany Ferries

Get In Touch
For more information on how Exeter
College could help you and your
business, please contact one of our
dedicated Business Recruitment
Consultants on: